The Warriors of Valishna (Cartharia Book 1)

by Spencer Reaves McCoy

  "We're starving," Eldrin chimed in cheerfully.

  The woman nodded, "Oh, of course. Of course. Go ahead, the food's at the park. Have a nice day. I'll try and find you once I've checked the list of other survivors."

  "Thank you," Matilyn and Penny said at the same time. Eldrin offered a cheeky smile and stepped between Matilyn and Penny, looping an arm between each of theirs.

  "Come on then," he said, "I don't think I can survive another moment without something on my stomach. Those potatoes sound like the best thing since sliced bread. Come to think of it, I'm going to have bread too. I'm going to have rice. Rice, potatoes, and bread. It'll be a feast."

  Matilyn rolled her eyes and Penny shook her head. They both hurried to keep up when he started to walk though.

  "Your parents have been worried sick," Penny said to Eldrin, "and your sisters of course. You know about Lucy, right?"

  "I know," Eldrin said, "I saw her when she left with the first caravan. Has there been any improvement?"

  Penny shook her head, "The wound is infected. They're talking about cutting away even more flesh."

  Matilyn frowned, "Did you try healing it?"

  "I did," Penny said, "I think it's going to take more than one Priest though and I haven't seen Janice since we arrived. They've got all the recruit Priests working the infirmaries but it's not enough."

  "We'll go after we eat," Matilyn said, "First thing."

  Eldrin nodded his agreement.

  "What about my father?" Matilyn asked, "Did he make it?"

  "I don't know," Penny said, "I haven't heard from him yet if he has. I tried to check the records a time or two but they kept telling me they were too busy to look anybody in particular up. Kind of rude, too. Not that woman. She's nice. But the others..."

  She shook her head.

  When they reached the park, Matilyn saw several long tables set up with various food dishes. There was a person at each, monitoring who got bowls. One of them waved the three over.

  "I haven't seen you here," he said to Matilyn and Eldrin.

  "We just got here," Matilyn told him.

  Eldrin stared over at the food longingly. His stomach let out a groan.

  "Go ahead and get what you want then," the man said. He turned to Penny, "You were here at lunch though, weren't you?"

  "I'm not eating," Penny assured him, "Just keeping these two company. Keeping them out of trouble, you know?"

  The man nodded.

  The three of them walked to the table, Matilyn and Eldrin filling bowls with food. Matilyn usually wasn't a fan of potatoes but she'd never been so happy to load up on them before.

  Once they had their food they went over to where Penny and been sleeping. A folded up blanket marked her spot.

  "Aren't you afraid someone's going to steal that?" Eldrin asked as they sat down and made themselves comfortable.

  "No, not really," Penny said, "I was at first, but people keep an eye on each other here. I guess it's that protective nature that kind of kicked in after what happened in Valishna. I expected people to be on edge but they're far more willing to deal with each other now than I've seen before."

  Matilyn considered this as she began to eat. Her eyes drifted around the area, watching people talk and laugh together. As she ate her potatoes and listened to Penny and Eldrin talk, she didn't quite feel at home but she felt better.

  She felt better than she had in days, and for a moment, she didn't think of Valishna and all the loss and all the loss that was certain still to come.

  When they'd finished eating, Penny led Matilyn and Eldrin to the infirmary. Before they'd had a chance to enter, they were ambushed by Eldrin's family.

  "Sheldon, my gods, you're alright," his father, John, said. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks unshaven. His mother, Nancy, looked as though she'd just finished crying.

  "I'm alright," Eldrin agreed, as his father pulled him into a hug.

  "And Mattie, good. Good. We were so worried about both of you," his mother said. She stepped up, hugging Matilyn. Matilyn relaxed a little in the familiar embrace, letting some of her tension and adrenaline release.

  "What took you so long?" John asked.

  "We got a little lost," Eldrin admitted. When Nancy let Matilyn go and moved to Eldrin, he returned her hug, but Matilyn could see by his expression that he was ready to be let go, "I'm fine, mom, really. Come on now."

  John turned to Matilyn, hugging her as well. Then he pushed her back and looked at her, "You took care of Sheldon out there, huh?"

  Matilyn couldn't help but smile, "It was really the other way around," she said.

  "Somehow I doubt that," John said, clapping her shoulder.

  When Nancy finally let go of Eldrin, he looked around, "We really want to go visit Lucy. Is that where Hope is?"

  "No," John said, "She's sleeping back in our room. We were assigned one yesterday and she's exhausted. The woman in the neighboring room is keeping an eye out for her in case she wakes up scared."

  "If you want to see Lucy, I'm sure they'll allow it, seeing as your Priests," Nancy said, "But usually there's a limited number of visitors at once. Come along, we'll find out."

  They made their way into the infirmary. A tired looking woman glanced over at them, "Who are you here to see?"

  "Lucy Eldrin," John said.

  "We have a limited number of visitors allowed in the pediatric section," the woman said, "We only allow two at a time."

  "I can stay out," Penny whispered to Matilyn.

  "No," Matilyn said, taking her hand. She looked over at the woman, "We're not visitors," she said, "The three of us are Priests. We want to work on her together."

  The woman blinked, "Oh," she said, "Oh, alright then. I didn't realize. If all three of you are Priests, though, we could use the extra help in the infirmary. Once you've seen to Lucy, of course. We're short on--"

  "Priests," Eldrin said, "We know. We'll help. But my sister first, please?"

  The woman nodded, "Just the three of you then," she gave an apologetic look to John and Nancy.

  "It's alright," Nancy said, "Just help her."

  She gave Sheldon and then Matilyn another hug and then her and John left the infirmary. The woman led them through the building. Matilyn looked as they went, keeping a mental tally of the number of injured she saw.

  The woman hadn't been exaggerating when she'd said they needed the help. The rooms were almost completely full, and she'd seen some people with minor injuries waiting outside in hallways for help.

  "She's right inside here," the woman said, stopping in front of a door, "There are two other little girls in there as well, and if you could maybe plan a visit for them as well, I'm sure their families would greatly appreciate it. Oh, it'd be great to have the help. You know what, I'll just leave you here then."

  Matilyn nodded.

  Penny tightened her grip on Matilyn's hand as Eldrin pushed the door open.

  Matilyn had to struggle not to gasp as Eldrin rushed to Lucy's bedside. Over half of her face was wrapped in thick, medical gauze. Through it, Matilyn could see red and blackened skin, covered by some sort of ointment. She swallowed

  "Lucy?" Eldrin asked.

  "Eldrin!" Lucy shot up in bed, the side of her mouth that wasn't covered wrinkling up in a large smile. Eldrin leaned over, embracing her. She hugged him back, fiercely, "They said you were dead, ELdrin. I told them all, I said, no he isn't. And I was right."

  "You were right," Eldrin said. Matilyn could hear the pain in his voice at seeing his sister in such a state, but to his credit, he was smiling when he pulled back, "And how are you, little miss?"

  Lucy shrugged a shoulder, "I'm alright," she said, "Everyone keeps making a big fuss out of my face, but I keep telling them, well now I won't look like Hope, right? That's the best news I think I could have."

  Eldrin laughed, carefully ruffling the exposed part of her hair, "There's that," he agreed. "But Lucy, I was wondering, do you think Mattie, Penny, and I could take a lo
ok at your face? We want to see if we can help you."

  Lucy hesitated. "I don't know," she said, "It's really painful."

  "I know," Eldrin said, "I know it hurts, Lucy, but we can help with that too, and besides, you're brave, right? You always said out of you and Hope, that you're the brave one. Now it's time to prove that."

  "Okay then," Lucy said, convinced.

  Eldrin turned to wave Matilyn and Penny forward.

  "Hi Lucy," Matilyn said, "How are you feeling?"

  "Hi Mattie," Lucy said, "Hi Penny."

  "Hey," Penny said.

  "I'm going to get the medical supplies," Matilyn said, "I'm glad to see you're okay, Lucy." She stepped away, searching through the room. As the woman had told them, there were two other little girls in the room. One was older than Lucy, but the other was barely more than a toddler. She had a bandage covering her chest, her arm was in a sling, and she looked far too pale, and far too yellow.

  Over in the corner, Matilyn found the medical supplies. She gathered up a fresh gauze bandage, some more ointment, warm water and washcloth to clean the wound with.

  "Here," she said when she'd returned, "Eldrin, can I talk to you a sec?"

  "Sure," Eldrin said, stepping away from the bed, "What's up?"

  Matilyn looked over to where Lucy was chatting with Penny then back to Eldrin, "There's a little girl with jaundice. It's not looking good. I don't think they realize it."

  "What?" Eldrin followed her gaze to the far bed. "She does look pretty yellow."

  "Someone needs to help her," Matilyn said, "Do you think you and Penny can work on Lucy? One of us needs to make sure she's alright. I have to find her parents."

  Eldrin nodded, placing a hand on her arm, "We'll come help you when you're done if you need us, okay?"

  This time, Matilyn nodded. She smiled one more time at Lucy, gave Penny a look, and then went out of the room. She wandered down the hallway till she found the woman who'd brought them back to Lucy.

  "I need to find the little girl's parents in the far bed," Matilyn told her, "She needs immediate medical attention."

  The woman nodded, "Come on, I'll check her charts."

  Matilyn followed the woman up to the front desk. She watched as the woman rifled through some papers.

  "Oh," she said, when she'd found the right one, "She was brought in my a man named Craig, but it doesn't look like there's any relation. He found her, and got her out of the city but he doesn't know who her family is. She's been sleeping mostly since she's arrived. Complaining about stomach pain."

  Matilyn winced. "So she's an orphan."

  "Not necessarily," the woman said, "It could be that her parents haven't found her yet or they went to Teirford."

  "What sort of parents wouldn't take their child with them?" Matilyn asked, "No, if they're not here, there's a reason. So if there's no family, who does that make her guardian?"

  The woman considered, "In Westwood, orphaned children are normally taken in by the Chapel and either adopted out to proper families or trained by the Chapel. But our head Priest is out of the city and he makes the decisions."

  "I'll make the decision then," Matilyn said, "My name is Matilyn Malevus and I'm a Priest from Valishna. My credentials can be confirmed by the capital. The Chapel will take over responsibility of the child. As a Priest, I will make medical decisions. Fair?"

  "Good enough for me," the woman said, relieved, "I just want to see her get better. Poor little dear."

  Matilyn nodded, "I'll need you with me. I might need your assistance."

  "I'm just a nurse," the woman said. "Not a healer."

  "I don't need your help healing," Matilyn said, "Just come with me. Please."

  The woman hesitated and then nodded, following her back down the hallway and into the room. Together, Penny and Eldrin were holding their hands towards Lucy's face. One side looked as though it had hardly any skin left on it; the bone showing through.

  Matilyn winced, but didn't speak, not wanting to interrupt their concentration. Her and the nurse went over to where the little girl was sleeping. Matilyn put a hand on her forehead, "She's hot. Does she know you? Can you wake her without scaring her?"

  The nurse nodded, moving forward. "Sweetheart? I need you to wake up now, Megan. Come on. Wake up. There you are, good morning."

  The girl, Megan, offered a tiny smile back, "Morning."

  "How are you feeling?" The nurse asked.

  "My tummy hurts," the girl said.

  "I want you to meet someone that's going to try and help you feel better," the nurse said, beckoning Matilyn forward.

  Matilyn bent down a little, "Hi Megan. I'm Matilyn. I'm a Priest. I was hoping I might be able to help you. But first I need to ask you a few questions and run a few tests. Is that alright? Can you be brave?"

  Megan hesitated but finally nodded, "Okay."

  "If you get too scared, I want you to try and roar," Matilyn said, "Loud as you can. I want the whole infirmary to think there's a giant lion in here. Think you can handle that?"

  Megan grinned and nodded, "I can be a big lion," she promised.

  "Good," Matilyn said. "That's good. The first thing I have to do is feel your stomach, okay? Remember to be brave."

  Megan nodded.

  Matilyn lifted the blanket, pushing it away. The girl's chest was bandaged as well as her lower torso. She undid the wrap, revealing a long gash that had been stitched up. She focused on this wound first, trying first to find her Chakran.

  Once she'd centered herself, her fingers moved over the surface of the skin, urging the various molecules of skin, muscle, and tendons to stitch back together. The girl let out a startled cry as the wound began to mend.

  "Don't forget," Matilyn said. The girl let out a small roar.

  "Good job," Matilyn said, leaning back. "Now, your stomach hurts?"

  "A lot," Megan said.

  "Well, that's no good," Matilyn said. She moved her fingers down to the girl's stomach, "Tell me when it hurts more, okay?"

  She nodded.

  Matilyn pressed in various spots until the girl seemed as though she might start crying from the pain. She'd found the tenderest spot over her liver. "I'm going to need to do one more test, okay?"

  "Just one more," Megan said.

  Matilyn nodded, "I just need to see how much you bleed, alright? I just have to check. It might hurt a little." She turned to the woman watching, "I need a knife and a bandage."

  The nurse nodded, rushing off to the supplies. Matilyn leaned back to see Penny and Eldrin. Eldrin was giving his sister's forehead a kiss. From what she could tell, they hadn't managed to do much. Penny held a roll of bandages anxiously, waiting.

  When the nurse returned, holding the small scalpel and the roll of bandages, Matilyn returned her attention to Megan. "I'm just going to make a little prick, okay? Be brave."

  After Megan had nodded, Matilyn pushed the tip of the scalpel into the end of the little girl's index finger. It immediately swelled with blood. When Megan saw it, she let out a loud cry. The other girl in the infirmary looked over, as did Penny and Eldrin.

  "Remember, you're supposed to roar," Matilyn said, quickly placing the bandage against the cut, "Roar, remember?"

  The girl hesitated and then let out a low roar.

  Matilyn shook her head, "Louder," she demanded, as she lifted the cloth a little. The cut still bled. She counted in her head as Megan roared again. "One more," she told her.

  "ROOOOOAR!" Megan shouted.

  "Good job," Matilyn said, "That was the best roar ever. And look, your finger isn't bleeding anymore, see?" She showed the girl her hand. "Now, I need to know. Were you sick before you left Valishna?"

  "No," Megan said. "I wasn't sick."

  "What about your parents?" Matilyn asked, 'Were either of them sick? Or a brother or sister?"

  "I don't have any brothers or any sisters," Megan said.

  "Well what about your mom and dad then?" Matilyn asked.

  Megan shook he
r head, "They weren't sick."

  "Did you fall down?"

  "No," Megan said.

  Matilyn sighed. "What did you eat while you were traveling? Did you get enough to eat? Or did you get really, really hungry?"

  Megan shook her head, "I had lots to eat. A man gave me bread and grapes and I had mushrooms too."

  "Oh? Did he give you the mushrooms?" Matilyn asked.

  "No," Megan said with a shake of her head. She lowered her voice a little, "I found them. They were on the roadside and I picked them!"

  Matilyn let out a relieved sigh and turned to the woman, "Do you have Whisperwhill?"

  The nurse gave her a confused look but nodded, "We do."

  "You're going to want to give her an eighth of an ounce, brewed into tea. Keep this up for at least a week and she'll be fine," Matilyn instructed.

  "What's wrong with her?" The woman asked.

  "Certain fungus messes with the liver," Matilyn explained, "She was hungry so she picked some off the ground. It caused the liver infection. But the Whisperwill with get rid of that quickly enough."

  The nurse frowned, "Can't you heal it?"

  "It's not a cut or something to manipulate," Matilyn said, "I'd do more if I could, but an infection is going to have to heal over time. I'm not hat skilled."

  The nurse gave an apologetic nod, "Of course, sorry."

  "It's fine," Matilyn said. She turned back to Megan, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Megan. You're going to be just fine now. Soon, your stomach won't even hurt."

  "Are you sure?" Megan asked.

  Matilyn nodded. "I'm going to go see my friends now okay? If you need me, just ask for Matilyn."

  Megan nodded, pulling the blanket back over herself.

  "Thank you," the nurse said sincerely.

  "Of course," Matilyn said. She glanced over at Penny and Eldrin and resisted the urge to sigh, "Don't worry, We'll be back."

  Sean woke to the sound of pounding hooves near him. He shot up, looking around. There was nothing in the near vicinity. He relaxed a little, trying to calm down. He couldn't have been dreaming, he knew that, so he must have been remembering.

  It had been five days since he'd made it to Westwood, though the days seemed to blend together more than not. He felt an achingly empty pain in his lower abdomen that he couldn't get rid of.